KS4 Religious Studies - Study Guide

Transcription

1 Page 1 KEY WORDS - unlocking the door to success Numinous Conversion Miracle Prayer Design Causation Agnosticism Atheism Moral evil Natural evil Omnipotent Benevolent Omniscient The feeling of the presence of something greater than you e.g. in a church or looking up at the stars When your life is changed by giving yourself to God Something which seems to break a law of science and makes you think only God could have done it. An attempt to contact God, usually through words. When things are connected and seem to have a purpose e.g. eye is designed for seeing. The idea that everything has been caused (started off) by something else. Not being sure whether God exists Believing that God does not exist Actions done by humans which cause suffering Things which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans e.g. earthquakes The belief that God is all-powerful The belief that God is good/kind The belief that God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen SOME PRACTICE QUESTIONS C1.1 (a) What is meant by religious conversion? (2) (b) Outline the reasons a person might give for being an atheist. (6) (c) Explain how religious experience may support a Catholic's belief in God. (8) (d) Children should be allowed to make up their own minds about whether they believe in God. point of view. In your answer you should refer to Christianity. (4) C1.2 (a) What does the word agnostic mean? (2) (b) Outline ONE response of Christianity to the problem of evil. (6) (c) Explain how the appearance of design and order in the world may lead to or support a Christian s belief in God. (8) (d) Miracles don t happen today. point of view. In your answer you should refer to Christianity. (4)

2 Page 2 1 How religious upbringing in a Catholic family and community can lead to or support belief in God. The nature of religious experience for Catholics, as seen in the numinous, conversion, miracles, prayer, and how these may lead to or support belief in God. A Catholic upbringing At home, parents will pray with you, teach you Catholic values and take you to church At Church you would pray and learn about God through the services and Sunday School. The Sacraments of Initiation would welcome you into the Church community - baptism, confirmation and eucharist! At Catholic schools you would pray and learn about God in Assemblies and R.E. lessons. SCHOOL Growing up in such an environment encourages children to believe there is a God whom they can talk to and who looks over them. What kinds of religious experiences are there? Numinous - The feeling... of the presence of something greater than you which you can only call God. you get when you enter a great religious building or even a beautiful place. of awe and wonder (perhaps when you look at the stars) Conversion when someone s life is turned around by faith when someone feels they must give their life to God Miracles when something happens which can only be explained by God. Jesus miracles were signs that God was at work among the people. Many people began to believe in God because there was no other explanation! The feeding of the 5000 (Mk 6:30-44) reminds people that God will provide and the calming of the storm that God will save. Prayer A belief that God listens and your prayers are answered. (If you pray for a loved one to be cured of cancer and she is, you may think your prayers have been answered and that God has caused the miracle). Christians believe that God does answer prayers and Sometimes the answer is no (Cardinal Basil Hume)

3 Page 3 2 How the appearance of the world (design and causation) may lead to or support belief in God. How the search for meaning and purpose in life may lead to or support belief in God. How the presence of religion in the world may lead to or support belief in God. Design - Proposed by William Paley ( ) If you consider a watch : it is a complex mechanism, so it must have been designed, if it was designed, it must have had a designer. The universe is so complicated that someone must have made it like this and that someone was God. Causation - proposed by St. Thomas Aquinas ( ) The universe exists. Everything has to come from something. You cannot make something out of nothing. Therefore the universe has to have been created by something and that something (or 'First Cause') is God. Purpose We must have purpose in life to live otherwise what is the point? Many turn to God to find their purpose in life and they pray to discern God s will. People like Mother Theresa, Maximillian Kolbe, Oscar Romero and Desmond Tutu have found their purpose in God and made a significant contribution to life on earth. Presence of religion Some people believe that religion itself is evidence for God s existence. There are similarities in many religions God as creator Possibility of getting in touch with God Moral rules Prayer Miracles and visions These similarities lead to the conclusion that God exists!! Can so many people be wrong????

4 Page 4 3 How non-religious explanations of the world and of miracles may lead to or support agnosticism or atheism. How unanswered prayers and the existence of evil and suffering (including moral evil and natural evil) may lead people to question or reject belief in God. Non-religious explanations of the world and miracles Science explains creation and miracles much more convincingly than religion. The Big Bang theory is much more believable than the Genesis story. Darwin s Theory of Evolution (natural selection) explains how human beings and other species develop and adapt to the balance of nature God did not design nature - nature is constantly re-designing itself. The Gospel writers were writing to convince the people to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, so they exaggerated stories that portrayed him in a powerful light. The stories of miracles in the Bible are the stories of primitive people. People who suffer emotional crises think God may have helped them but really they are just using God as a psychological crutch These explanations lead to some people feeling unsure whether God exists (agnostics). Others become convinced that God could not exist (atheists).

5 Page 5 4 Why the existence of evil and suffering raises problems for people who believe in God as omnipotent, benevolent and omniscient. How Catholics respond to this problem. NATURAL EVIL - earthquakes, famines, volcanoes etc. which are beyond human control MORAL EVIL - where humans cause each other suffering. e.g. the Holocaust(WW2) The DEVIL is the personification of EVIL. Adolf Hitler People find it difficult to believe... ❶ If God is benevolent (good), why does he not stop evil & suffering? Why would the innocent suffer? ❷ If God is omnipotent (all-powerful), he must be able to remove evil and suffering from the world. But, God has not removed evil and suffering from the world so either: - he is not good - he is not all-powerful - God does not exist. ❸ If God is omniscient (all-knowing), why does he not stop the next tragedy (earthquake, flood,etc.)? ❹ When they pray for something good (like a person to be healed), but God does not seem to answer. ❺ That if God is the Creator, did he create things like cancer, leukaemia, Siamese twins?? Some religious explanations for evil and suffering in the world God has given humans free will and humans use their free will to do evil and cause suffering. Much suffering is caused by structures of sin. Evil and suffering is the result of The Fall in Genesis 1. Suffering is a kind of test we undergo to see if we are worthy of heaven. It is only through suffering that we develop as humans. (No pain - no gain!)

6 Page 6 Catholics are called to respond to these problems by: Praying for those who suffer Accepting their own suffering as Jesus accepted his Realising that suffering can bring people closer to God Reaching out to those who suffer (like Jesus reached out to the leper - Mark 1) Standing up & speaking out against those who do evil and cause suffering IN SHORT Catholics should help those who suffer and fight against evil! SOME PAST PAPER PRACTICE QUESTIONS C1.3 (a) Name TWO features of a Catholic upbringing. (2) (b) Outline Catholic responses to the problem of evil and suffering. (6) (c) Explain why some people do not believe in God. (8) (d) All children need to be taught about Christianity. point of view. (4) C1.4 (a) What does the word atheism mean. (2) (b) Describe ONE religious experience. (6) (c) Explain how a Catholic upbringing may lead someone to believe in God. (8) (d) There is plenty of evidence that God exists. point of view. (4)